Co-Moderators of the 223rd General Assembly, Vilmarie Cintrón-Olivieri (left) and Cindy Kohlmann (right), will be leading worship at the 2018 Moderators' Conference in Louisville, KY. —Photo by: Michael Whitman
More than 100 moderators from presbyteries and synods around the country will be visiting Louisville, Kentucky, this week for the Moderators’ Conference.
“It has been a while since we hosted moderators at our offices in Louisville,” said the Rev. Tricia Dykers Koenig, associate director for Mid Council Relations in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)’s Office of the General Assembly. “We’re happy to have them here and are excited that the co-moderators of the 223rd General Assembly will be serving as hosts.”
Registration is Thursday evening, with the conference beginning at the church offices Friday morning.
“We are planning to have a mission fair in the office, but instead of setting up tables in the atrium, we are offering them an opportunity to participate in a scavenger hunt that will take them around the building,” said Dykers Koenig. “This will give an opportunity for attendees to get a sense of the staff and the ministry work that happens here. We want them to experience this as their building.”
In addition to building tours, the moderators will participate in chapel worship with preaching by Ruling Elder Vilmarie Cintrón-Olivieri, one of the co-moderators (with the Rev. Cindy Kohlmann) of the 223rd General Assembly. The afternoon will include sessions on meeting management and parliamentary procedure.
“Saturday will include additional plenary sessions as well as an opportunity to take part in two out of six scheduled workshops in the morning and afternoon,” said Dykers Koenig. “We were planning on 100 attending, but 110 have actually registered, so we’re happy with the attendance. We hope this will provide the training the moderators need and connect them with the national church.”
The conference will conclude on Saturday evening with worship led by Kohlmann.